Operating systems are computer programs which manage the way software applications utilize the hardware of computer systems. A fundamental component of operating systems is the operating system kernel (also referred to herein as a “kernel”), which provides secure computer system hardware access to software applications executing on the computer system. Since accessing the hardware can be complex, kernels may implement a set of hardware abstractions to provide a clean and uniform interface to the underlying hardware. The abstractions provided by the kernel provide software developers easier access to the hardware when writing software applications.
The description above is presented as a general overview of related art in this field and should not be construed as an admission that any of the information it contains constitutes prior art against the present patent application.